Army Of One
by X-Safaia-X
Summary: A mission gone wrong winds Reno in an enemy's hands, an enemy that wishes to break him and use him. Can the others save their ally before there is nothing left of him to save? WARNING: Dark/Angst, torture, and possible rape.
1. Forward

**Forward**

A long time ago I started a story called "Evil Angel" under a different pen name _DeadlyLilYukiko _in the Boondock Saints section. It was meant to be a story written for a good friend of mine, but due to a computer malfunction and the friend's sudden disinterest in the story and the movies the story ended up drifting to the way side.

Just yesterday I was cleaning things up and found an old flash drive that contained the first two chapter to the stories. Reading them over, I found that I really liked the idea of the story and where it was going, but I found that I had no to little interest in writing a Boondock Saint fan fiction. But I had been tossing around some ideas for some FFVII fan fiction, as I adore the games and the movie. Reading over the chapters I had, I thought it would be perfect to use and I was hit with a stroke of genius.

I have updated and reworked the chapters to fit better and to fit the FVII world. I do hope that you enjoy this story. I plan to try and remember the password to my old account and remove the other story to avoid confusion or people thinking that its copied. Alas, I cannot remember the e-mail I used -.- . So awesome right? And they don't let you recall it by password, only e-mail. Pain in the ass, right?

Any way, I hope you enjoy this story and that this clears up any confusion. If anyone has any concerns they can PM me them or e-mail me at DeadlyLilYukiko .

That said, Enjoy!

~Safaia~


	2. Chapter One: No Chance For Us

**A/N: Welcome to my first FFVII fan fiction! I hope that you took the time to read the forward so that you understand the situation of this fan fiction. If not, I suggest taking a moment to go back and check that out quickly just to spare some issues that might arise later.**

**For those that will wonder, where this takes place in the time line is a little unknown even to myself. That is because I wanted to use Zack Fair in it and since Square Enix was horrible and killed him off, I would assume that it takes place after Angeal's death but before the incident in Nibelhiem. Though I am sure that often there will be blurs. (Such as Elena's apperance despite the fact that she isn't really seen until after the dropping of the Sector Seven Plate as a replacement for Reno). But does that really matter, heh? Enjoy any who!**

**But here is the warnings for this store: Dark, angst, torture, and possible rape (undecided on that factor yet).**

Chapter One: There's No Chance For Us

"_There's no chance for us  
It's all decided for us  
This world has only one sweet moment  
Set aside for us_

_Who wants to live forever?  
Who wants to live forever?  
Ooh, Ooh, Ooh  
Who dares to love forever?  
Oh, Oh, when love must die..."_

_**-Breaking Benjamin 'Who Wants to Live Forever'-**_

The fingers came up, stroking over a chin as a tongue moved, clicking against the back teeth in a faint tsking sound that seemed to denote deep thought. It was the only noise that filtered out through the thick cigarette smoke yet neither of the two forms seemed even remotely upset about this fact. They just stared straight ahead, eyes narrowed against the familiar burn of cigarette smoke to look at a window that looked over Midgar It was by no means a pretty sight. Run down buildings were crammed together, some choking the air with great plumes of toxic breath. Still it was home, a sight they fought for, bled for, bled on. The faint sound finally stopped long enough for a voice to slip through the haze.

"I've wanted to get this guy for a long time."

There was silence again, two minds once more falling into thought. Each was bogged down with the sight of the women haggard and bruised, used and tossed away by this man, meetings in which the fat crime boss smirked over at them vying his freedom with needed information. And now he'd slipped up and took the life of a prominent SOLDIER, an act in which no amount of information would save his freedom.

"And now we finally get to get him."

Silence once more. Neither really knew what to say, but they knew what needed to be done. They had planned it all carefully during late nights in the office over pots of coffee and blue prints of all the sectors. They were suited up, coats over shoulder holsters, guns cleaned, prepped, and loaded, EMRs tucked gently within sleeves. This time a third voice broke the silence, garbled and almost static like as it muttered from the ear pieces both people wore.

_"Reports show that this is the Don's home. Its unknown to the general public as most believe he lives at the Honey Bee, but he actually resides here. This tactic is used so that if an enemy attacks, he won't be there. This piece of information came from one of his girls in turn for help in making a new life. It seems the Don is alone upstairs with a woman. Intel believes that he's breaking in the newest female employee so its likely that his attention will be hampered. Should be an easy enough infiltration and apprehension."_

"Something's not fucking right about this." The red headed Turk remained crouched in the bushes outside the mansion, hands fumbling with his gun, checking and double checking that each part was still clean and ready to properly work. "This is supposed to be the big guy's houses and there's not a fucking guard that we can see? Not even a fucking poodle to piss its self if we get too close. It ain't right."

The second man, a large bald headed Turk with a pair of dark tinted glasses had to admit that he was thinking the same thing as he peeked over one of the hedges. The air was cool on his features as they long since realized the need for them to wear masks was past. You don't do what a Turk does and hide behind masks. His dark eyes surveyed what they could see of the yard and there wasn't a body, a gun, or as his partner Reno had so delicately put it, a poodle to piss on its self. His gaze then moved up to the windows. One light on. It must have been where Don Corneo doing his nightly hooker.

"They probably think we'd never get the intel on this place." Rude muttered, screwing a silencer on to the end of his pistol's barrel. "No one has been able to do so yet."

"But we aren't nobodies, we're Turks." Reno answered, now looking up towards Rude that had remained pretty silent since they'd gotten here to basically find the front door open for them. It could only mean one of two things. He had the same idea of something being wrong and wanting to wait, or he was trying to think up a plan. Reno really hoped it was the latter. This whole thing had seemed boring up until this point and the red headed Turk wanted some fun on this one, some action.

"Yes, but I still think that something is not right here." Rude muttered to himself, checking the silencer of his gun once more, pressing a finger to the small plastic nub in his ear. "So what do you think, Tseng? We go in or we pull out?"

There was silence that settled over the duo as they waited for the Director to speak. When it came down to it, this was Shinra's rodeo and they only rode in it. They went by what the Boss man said, what he wanted, even if they were itching to shoot some of these assholes that had made an attack against other Shinra employees. Reno looked at his partner, eyes eager as he waited for the Director to speak and felt the nerves rising in him until his silence could no longer be held.

"I say we take the chance they're fucking giving us!" He blurted out. "Just march up there, kick the door in, pop pop pop, take them down. Just really drive it home!"

Rude cracked a smile even as he continued to watch the light on in the upstairs room. One shadow. All he could make out was one shadow. Maybe Reno was right for once and these bastards really did believe that they had gained the upper hand by having secret knowledge of this place and they would be foolish to wait and give the Don a chance to strengthen security.

"He's got a point Tseng. I can only see one shadow up there. I think they really believe this hide out is still unknown." He finally sunk back down behind the bush.

"_I agree, right now might be our best chance to enact this mission with little damage and injury. Proceed you two and do not break communication. Remember that we want him alive. He may have taken Shinra life, but he still holds much information of the underground crime circuit and this intelligence will be much needed."_

Reno hunkered down beneath the bush, lips pushing out in what appeared for a moment to almost be a pout. It was apparent that he didn't like the idea of such a plain and easy plan. This Turk was known for his flair and his want of action, adventure, and thrill. Finally a sigh left the smaller of the Turk's lips as his more stoic partner chuckled.

"All right." Rude spoke in an tone that showed he was ready. Nodding and glancing towards his companion before raising his gun up beside his face and offering his partner a lop sided grin. "Shall we?"

Reno reached out and slapped a hand firmly to the ground, letting out the sharp sound of flesh against pavement, his hoot resounding after it.

"Now that's what I'm fucking talking about!" He hooted, voice low but still laced with excitement.

Rude raised a hand and brought it up to clap around the back of Reno's neck, grinning broadly. Fingers clasping tightly, he offered the man a good shake and a beaming smile.

The two rose, all business now. Their faces were serious as they strode across the dark yard towards the front door. Don Corneo was the head of all the crime in the Midgar sectors. Normally he had a neutral relationship with the Turks, offering them information on his competitors in order to remain free. It had always burned the Turks that they had more then enough on this man to lock him away for good, but that the President felt it better the Don remain on the street to inform them then in a cage somewhere that would force them to seek out new informants and set them back. The Don had finally screwed up though and killed a SOLDIER that was on leave and made the drunken mistake of trying to stop the Don mid-rape of a new girl. This was one that Shinra would not look past and the order had been issued to the Turks to step in and bring the man in alive.

It was suppose to be easy. In and out. Kick open the door and round them up. There was no flashy plan, no little tricks learned from training. An easy job, easier then any they'd pulled yet. The door opened easily enough, swinging open from one kick without even too much of a bang, allowing them to charge in. What they were greeted with changed the whole plan, guns pointed straight at their faces.

A set up.

Eight angry men with malice in their eyes. The two Turks paused just inside the doorway, eyes going wide. The sound of hammers being pulled back danced across the room in a chorus of clicks. There was only a moment for reaction. Guns came up, Reno shouting out only one phrase before anything started.

"Fucking Gaia!"

Then the bullets started flying from both sides of the room. The duo dove to opposite sides of the room. Rude dove to the right, Reno to the left, shooting even as his body was still in midair. Bullets pinged off walls and furniture, the room breaking into pure chaos. True to form and legend, the flying ammo seemed to miss the Turks. But three of the eight men went down, blood bursting from their newly adorned holes.

Reno scooted back behind an easy chair even as bullets from the remaining five men started to chew up the fabric, sending stuffing snowing into the air. Panic flared in his aqua eyes as he looked over towards the air that his partner had launched himself in time to seem him scramble for cover. Their guns still blazed as he haphazardly loaded his own.

"Real fucking easy!" He bellowed back towards Rude, anger in his voice, as he snapped the new magazine into place. "Just go in, no plan, no cover! Real fucking brilliant!"

"Just keep shooting!" Rude shouted back, popping up from behind a chair to start firing back at the mass at the same time Reno surfaced. Three more men fell, life source forming a pool beneath their cooling bodies. Reno had moved beneath a coffee table, bullets tearing at the knees of those that still remained standing. The rest fell, giving Rude enough time to bury the killing bullets into their heads. All at once the gun fire ceased, but still the Turks took their time, waiting to see if another group would wave in. When things remained calm, they finally managed to sneak out from behind their hiding spots.

"What the _fuck_ was that?" Reno shouted, spinning in a fast circle before kicking at one of legs of the dead men. "An army just waiting in the dark for us? How the fuck did they know we were coming?"

Rude surveyed the damage, a hand coming up to wipe along his face. His eyes had taken on a different appearance now that the game was on.

"Well, we dealt with them easy enough." He shrugged, looking around. "So what do you say we go upstairs and get the Don?"

The sound of the gun blast was deafening and damn near terrifying as it seemed to blast out of nowhere. They both dove, one right and one left again, hitting the ground hard and seeking out a visual of the other to insure the bullet that seemed to come from no where had done no damage.

"What the fuck was that?" Reno shouted already preparing to pop back up out of his spot behind the couch when he heard the shallow wheezing that he'd long since accompanied with a fatal bullet wound. His blue eyes roamed over the pile of bodies, catching the trembling hand of the man that had held the gun. "Rude, you alright?"

It was Tseng's voice that reached Reno as he strode over to the gasping mobster. The man was using his last bit of strength, wheezing each breath out as the intake came out with a whistle, blood bubbling from the hole that led into one lung.

"_Rude was hit._" The Director chattered back, no panic in his tone. It didn't ease Reno's mind though. He knew it was strange to be asking a man who was not there the status of his partner, but it was the beauty of Turk technology. Each Turk was implanted with a chip at initiation that monitored their vitals and status as well as helped tracked them. None outside the Turks new of this technology and right now it was coming in handy, allowing Reno to focus on the mission and not panic.

"Is he alright?" He snapped back, kicking the gun from the man's hand and kneeling down beside him. This man was heavy set with a balding head yet a thick dark growth covering his chin. Blood streamed from one corner of his lips and stained his teeth almost a shade of orange as he sneered back at the Turk that was now kneeling to deliver him into the arms of hell.

"I'm fine." It was Rude that answered, easing his partner's thoughts as the gun barrel pressed firmly against the chest of the dying man. "Its just my shoulder."

"_He's bleeding bad though. I am not sure if you two should press on. If there's another ambush you might not make it_." Even though Reno couldn't see him, he knew Tseng was rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration at an easy enough mission gone sour.

As much as either Turk hated to admit it, the Director had a point. They'd come this far, but neither wanted to loose the other in something as simple as an ego driven fuck up. Which was exactly what this was. They should have been more careful, but the fact that always seemed to come out on top of any of the odds had inflated them enough to make their mistakes all that more dangerous.

"Is there another group of you bastards waiting for us upstairs?" Reno asked the man gasping at his knees, not figuring his answer would be true unless he was given the chance at life. The one thing these people had always shown the Turks to be true was that when faced with life or death, they would sell their own upstream simply for a few more wretched moments of breath. "Answer smart and there may be a life for you after all."

The nameless man smiled, a gruesome showing of teeth coated in slimy layers of crimson as though he'd actually been sucking on the blood of another. But he made no move, not with Reno's gun pressing against a kill spot, ready to take him to his end.

"Its...just us..." He rasped out finally. "The Don...he makes us sit in the dark...night after night...waiting for you Turks. Waiting to die...and he...he ain't even here...it was all...a set up...Don't kill me, I've got a family..."

Reno nodded, knowing the man's rasping was too low for the other to hear, and now he could pick up the pained sounds that came from his partner. His teeth clenched. He didn't want to go back on his word, and this man had told him what he wanted to hear. But still, he'd attempted to take the one true friend that Reno felt he had left, and that was a fact that could not be forgiven.

"They will meet your one day should the Goddess choose to have mercy on your soul." He whispered to the man who seemed to gather what was happening right away and tried to lurch up from his spot, bloody spittle flying from his mouth as the silenced gun went off, hissing the bullet into his chest as he slumped down. "Rude get outta here. I will see ta the clean up. Buddy boy here says it was all a set up. The fox isn't even in the hen house. Get outside, and clean yourself up. I'll wait here for Tseng and Elena."

There was a shuffling sound that he knew was his partner getting to his feet. There was little argument. Right now the idea that was in Reno's head was one of pure fear should his partner not start getting help right away. What made it only worse was the woozy Rude's inability to argue back fully.

"Reno, no." The drowsiness in Rude's tone told Reno two things. One, the man was doing right and getting closer to the doorway and out, and two, there was going to be a small objection over this. "We all go in and we all go out."

Reno finally turned and forced an easy grin, knowing it wasn't easy to pull one over on his partner. But he had to try. Truth be told, the man was still on edge from watching the SOLDIER die, and now seeing his partner soaked in his own blood brought the fear of loosing him as well rolling up to the surface in waves that were almost nauseating.

"I'm just going to watch over this pile of bodies until the clean up crew gets here, man." He assured his partner. "You know, just in case one tries to roll out or something. It'll be fine though, partner, I mean, they are all dead. Now get the hell out there and let them look you over. Tseng and Elena should be in here in a few minutes at the most. I'll just make sure no one is breathing and then I'll be out there. Promise."

There was a pause while Rude seemed to weigh out what Reno was saying. The bald Turk was not really sure why he was so adamant against leaving his partner to watch over a mass of corpse's but he still could not shake that bad feeling that had settled in his stomach from the moment they had started this mission. Still, Reno was a Turk, and Rude knew that his partner could handle himself well.

"Alright, but hurry." Rude finally conceded and allowed Reno to the task of checking pulses.

Reno raised a hand, shoving it through his hair as he looked at the scattered bodies. Not something they hadn't done before, but this time they hadn't been expecting it. Though something was gnawing at the back of his mind, like a small fact that they'd forgotten or hadn't picked up on. Still, he set about to check the eight bodies, making sure there was no life left in any of them.

"Fucking eight of them." He muttered to himself as he worked. "Like we're Superman or something. We only wanted the one bastard we thought was upstairs, not the whole lower..."

That's when it hit him, the something that was wrong. As they'd walked up, the shadow. It had been moving still in the upstairs window. Not one of the wise guys down here. They wouldn't have been fast enough to make it down here with a warning. And there had been no warning. That was easy enough to tell by the shocked pause when they'd kicked in the door. Anyone that had a warning to their coming would have been shooting before the splinters of the door hit the ground. That meant there was still one man milling around the house.

"Oh fucking hell!" He barked, pushing to his feet with sudden realization that he was now alone in the house with whatever man would want revenge for the group that had been fallen already. But before he could make it fully to his feet, something cracked against the back of his head, a splitting pain roaring through to encompass the entirety of his skull and bring him down, slumping in his partner's blood on the floor as darkness gripped him, giving him only the finally words spoken.

"Take him out the back and then finish it.

…...

Rude leaned heavy on Zack Fair's shoulder just at the end of the driveway. They were out of way of the others, but still with a clear view of the house. Despite the waves of pain and dizziness that was washing over him, something was gnawing at his stomach, making him uneasy and jittery, something not normal for the taller of the Turks.

"He's got ten more minutes and then I'm going in there and dragging him out myself." He muttered, pushing off Zack and squaring his shoulders with a pained grunt, ready to make good on his threat.

"Easy there killer, I'm sure he's fine. You left a lot of bodies in there and Tseng is only five minutes out." Zack shoved hands in his pockets now that they had nothing to do, unwilling to admit to the agitated Turk that he was uneasy as well, instead offering him a charming smile. The SOLDIER First Class had been sent ahead on this mission given it had been one of his apprentices the man had killed. The President had promised him first crack at trying to crack the Don.

"Fuck it, I'm gonna get his ass." Rude grumbled as he took a step back up towards the house, Zack already moving to chase after him.

And then it happened. It was so sudden that at first neither man was sure it really had occurred. The house that had once been standing before them, full of the bodies of eight dead mobsters seemed to go deadly silent before pushing out with an explosion that rocketed such force, it seemed almost to have no sound. Shock waves crashed out, knocking Rude and Zack back off their feet. It wasn't until their bodies hit the ground that sound finally caught up, roaring over them with a matching heat from the fire, tearing at their very flesh like a living being. There was a scream, and at first Rude thought it was from Zack. He didn't realize it was his own choked cries.

"Reno!" Now his brain caught up with his own screeching, struggling and flopping on the ground in a dazed manner. The wound on his shoulder had torn more, opening another stream of blood on the pavement that he wasn't even aware of. All he knew was that his partner had been in the house that was now raining debris on the neighborhood, the shattered frame licking with fire. "God, no! _Reno__!_"

Zack's arms where there, grabbing at him even as the distant sound of sirens seemed to come from no where, creeping up closer on the duo. Zack fought with the tearing Turk, knowing the man could not rush up there, the scene of the explosion still dangerous to be near as flames spewed upwards, burning stronger and higher on the toxins in the Midgar air. Still Rude struggled back with a vengeance, screaming as unknown tears tracked down his face, trademark sunglasses cracked and falling from his face as the SOLDIER started to drag him back towards the coming reinforcements. Rude was near hysterics, sure his partner had been caught in that explosion, so much so that the bright light of the fire never seemed to leave his eyes, even as Zack managed to carry him off to a safer spot.

All Rude could see was the spot his partner had just been, consumed by the very fires of hell.

"_RENO__!_"

**-And here's the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. The second chapter is already done and in editing so it shouldn't be too long before its up! Leave me reviews and let know what you think. :D **


	3. Chapter Two: I'm All Alone

**A/N: So here's chapter two in this lovely little saga. I'd like to thank all those that have already reviewed and/or read this story and are enjoying it. I know that Rude's outbursts of emotion seem a little, well, out of character for him, but I tend to believe that if Reno's life was really in danger like this the stoic Turk would burst out like this.**

**Any who, as most have probably noticed by now, each chapter is titled after a Breaking Benjamin song. I'm not sure they all will be (though that is my goal) but they will certainly all be titled after songs. I tend to write all my fan fiction with a little sound track like this.**

Chapter Two: I'm All Alone

"_I'm on the floor  
Battered and bored  
You got a taste  
I can't ignore  
I'm all alone  
Out in the cold"_

_**-Breaking Benjamin "Sugarcoat"-**_

"Let me go Zack! Let me go! I have to get him! I have to go back for him! _Reno__!_"

Zack refused to let Rude go, despite the fact that the Turk was fighting him like a doused cat. All claws and spitting, wrenching his body desperately in the SOLDIER's hold. Anyone that was walking up on this scene would have never guessed that the taller of the duo was bleeding heavily from a fresh gun wound.

Anguish was rolling hard in Rude's stomach. It hadn't happened, it just hadn't fucking happened. His vision was blurred by tears, and each time he tried to blink the salty build up away he was given a glimpse of the house going up in a booming fireball. The house they'd just recently vacated. The house that Reno had still been inside. Another wave of tearing grief rolled over him, drawing the pained cry from his lips.

_"RENO!"_

Zack kept his grip as tight as he could, the man's blood already starting to coat his hands and making them slick, his leather gloves now trying to grip tighter as they slipped on Rude's arm. He didn't speak, held his silence to allow the man to work out the torment that was raging through him. The truth was though, that the same misery was flooding through the SOLDIER's form. These two had become friends, and now?

Now one of them could be dead.

The choked sound of Rude's sobs filled the air, broken only by angry screams as he tried break free with the desperate need to race back to where his partner had last been seen breathing. The bellowing screams had started to break off into nothing more then heart wrenching sobs, body still twisting with a need to escape.

"Let me go, Zack...I have to go save him..."

"No Rude." Zack finally spoke, his voice low and oddly serious for the normally goofy First Class. "You can't go back there and we both know it. If its bad, then Reno wouldn't want you to be killed by running into a fireball after a corpse. But we gotta think, we gotta think he's alright and just hiding until the fire goes and then he's gonna come out spouting something about how we should of thought of just blowing the place the fuck up."

His words were true and Rude knew it, but he couldn't wrap his heart around it. Knees turned to jelly, dropping the tall man to his knees in the sludge of the slums street. He was barely aware of the cold puddles soaking into the knees of his pants or the hands of the medical team that grabbed at him. His cries no longer made any sound, just rattled his body as he rocked. When Zack was sure his words had reached the grieving Turk, he released his tight hold and took a step back, giving him the room needed to mourn and the medics to look over the bullet wound. And the separated partner took it, turning a tear streaked face to the dark sky, howling out in the pain that rested deep in his heart.

"_RENO__!"_

…_..VII...VII...VII...VII..._

Reno's head was pounding as he struggled back to the world of consciousness, for the moment forgetting where he was. The roaring pain in his head caused his stomach to roll, bringing a gag to his throat, allowing him to feel a strange weight there. The faint sound of shoes shuffling somewhere left him groaning and raising hands to grip at the sides of his head. This had to be the result of a bender. Again another dragging sound reached his ears, tearing through the tormenting headache.

"Rude, I swear to Gaia if you don't stop dragging your feet, I'm going lay you out." He muttered in a low, groaning tone.

"I don't think you'll be getting that chance any time soon, Turk."

The strange voice cut straight through the aching of his head, needling deep into a panic. The house, Don Corneo, the ambush, Rude and then the blow to the back of the head. His whole body lifted off the floor, eyes snapping open. The strange weight at his throat tugged again, this time almost choking him.

"Rude?" He gasped out, struggling to find his way to his hands and knees, fingers scrapping up to try and yank the gathering pressure hugging his neck. The tips only met metal instead. A steel collar? Reno's heart rate increased, praying loudly in his own mind that he hadn't just woken up into what he thought he had.

"You're partner is not here, _Il mio cane_." The voice repeated in an accent and language that gave him away as being one of the Don's men.

"_Io non sono vostro cane." _He growled back, voice tense. The man had been using a different language but part of Reno's training as a Turk involved learning and mastering the many languages used on the Planet. He still couldn't see the one speaking to him and so instead took the chance to look over himself. His shirt and jacket were gone, even his boots had seemed to vanish along with his belt. "Where is my partner?"

The blow seemed to come from no where, crashing brutally into his side, the thick rubber sole of the boot catching him in the lower ribs. A grunt was forced from him and he moved just as swift. Lurching up to his feet, one fist swung out in the direction of where the leg had been. There was an instant where knuckles meet the flesh of another and he lunged, pushing harder to get the man he knew was trying to back away. A dangerous smirk played on his lips as he pushed farther forward.

For the moment, the steel that had encased his neck like a collar had been forgotten until the metal bit back, crushing painfully at his wind pipe and jerking him back with a wheezing, growling curse. Reno managed to scramble himself up into a crouched position, glancing behind him to see the heavy chain that was outfitted to the collar and attached in a hoop embedded into the concrete wall. A leash? He was on a fucking leash?

"You dirty fuckers better let me off of this thing before I use the chain to choke every last one of your greasy necks!" He hollered, now nearly panting with the rage and panic at being chained up like some kind of beast. The worst was he still didn't know what had become of Rude. All he could hope was he was somewhere blazing up the badies to get him the fuck out.

This blow came harder, crashing down against the flat of his bare back, something sharp digging into the flesh and tearing. Small scratches formed along his back, swelling with blood. The hit knocked the wind out of him, sending him to all fours with a sharp gasping intake of breath.

"One does not unleash their dog until they are certain the beast will not bite their own hand." His mystery guest continued to speak, almost serenely from the shadows, out of Reno's eye sight. Still, the lost Turk looked around, noting for the first time that be seemed to be in some type of room that that was made of stone. The walls were moist and the scent of mildew stung his nose. A basement?

"I don't get what you're talking about." He snarled back, pushing up off his hands to kneel instead, shuffling back to seek out the wall to help to his feet. Even leashed, he was going to do all that he could to keep himself away from the image and a trained animal. "And you didn't answer my question. Where is my partner?"

The chuckling sound that reached his ears from the dark corners of the room was infuriating, rising Reno's blood quickly into a heated boil. Rage crashed against honest fear, knowing that he needed to know if Rude was alive or he would raise hell in this room until either he, or the man in the dark were dead.

"Don't worry about your partner, _cane_. I saw some SOLDIER dragging him off just after the bomb went off. Where they are now, I haven't any idea. But they surely aren't here, and he is not coming to your aid." The voice mused, the humor in his tone enough to leave Reno snarling. "See, even now you glower and act like a beast. You don't even stop to think, to ask. What should one of us want with a live Turk? Why risk the chance of you having a gun returned to your hand? I had the chance back in the house to have my man shoot you square in the back of the head before you would have even known he was there. After all, isn't a dead Turk better then anything?"

Reno was able to tell the man that remained hidden was pacing. His eyes drifted back in forth against the shadows, trying to follow the trail of the voice as it shifted from left to right, senses honed should he have the chance to attack. Relief had been stronger then he imagined at the knowledge that his partner was still alive. Not just because it meant he'd survived, but because it meant there was hope that he would get out of this tiny one man prison. The one thing he didn't want to admit was the curiosity over the truth behind the man's words.

Why was he not dead? If a clear shot had been there, why had it not been taken? There wasn't a mobster or criminal that he knew of in Midgar that would have overlooked the chance to do in one of the Turks. Yet here he was, a prisoner of one of those exactly, not even tightly bound and beaten. Nothing but a steel collar and thick chained leash kept him from causing chaos in this small room. The question must have been marked clearly on his face because the voice chuckled in response.

"You see, Reno..." The drifting of the voice stopped, showing that the man had paused to turn him, as though asking for a correction on the name. "I assume you're asking for Rude would make you the other Turk. So, you see, Reno...I know who your father was. The old man was quiet a monster. A thing of legend still despite the old man's passing a while ago. He was a frightening man, your father. Such an artist, such a killer. My own people used him as their pawn, calling him in when they needed help, relying on his skills to dispatch all our enemies. He was sometimes tricked into believing the men he went after were worse then they were, but still, I don't think it would have mattered to the old man. His job was to kill for us, and he did it well. He did it happily. A natural born _bastardo._"

"My dad wasn't a killer, you keep your fucking mouth shut about him!"

The man paused in his story, almost as though he were surprised about Reno's reaction to his father being called a killer, a bastard. Maybe the man figured the boy knew and had dismissed the knowledge. But now it seemed he hadn't known.

"Really, this has little to do with your father Reno." He now continued talking once more, as though never interrupted. "But everything to do with you. And possibly your partner if we can track him down and make the offer. I'm sure once we tell him who we have here, he'll be eager to listen to our offers."

The chain let out a fierce snapping sound as Reno's full body weight was suddenly thrown against the collar, not even seeming to notice the pain of the metal digging at his throat. There was rage in his eyes. A pure, unfiltered hate that was all consuming and promised death.

"You so much as look at my partner and I promise you my last breath will not come until yours has been stolen from your chest." He hissed out, tone low. The idea of this strange man trying to find his way anywhere near Rude set Reno instantly on edge. He was wanting to tear out at the man, yet still, knowing what he could about this rather unorthodox turn of events could prove to be quiet helpful in mounting an escape. He put on the show, hurling himself at the end of the leash like a rabid creature, roaring threats and venting frustrations until the pain of the digging collar forced him to stop, sagging to his knees as though defeated and hung his head low, chin resting against the top of his chest. "You leave him out of this..."

The sound of the shoes reached him again, shuffling closer. Reno sucked in a slow breath, holding it and reminding himself to remain still, keep his head down. The image had to be believable in order to draw the man closer. Only then could he get them to let their own guard down, come close enough to give him a chance. The boots came closer, just a little bit more. Three steps, two steps, one step. There!

Reno moved swiftly, all motions a completely smooth. He spun, still crouched low and struck out with one leg, aiming for the back of the man's knees. There was a grunt of air that meant that his blow had hit. One arm streaked up, grabbing for a fist full of shit to yank the man down to his back, now at Reno's level as he swung a leg over the man's chest and circled his hands around their throat, applying the same chocking pressure that the steel collar had given him.

"Give me the key to this and you may find yourself spared yet." He snarled out, eyes leaking nothing but pure menace, showing that he meant every tiny bit of his threat to do the man in right here even if it meant he had to rot at the end of this chain. The man he grasped was trembling, face turning red beneath Reno's tight grip.

"Very skilled, very smart. This is why I want you for my _cane_." The voice still came from the shadows, shattering Reno's resolve. The man, the mobster talking was still hiding. This man he was strangling was a decoy. And it worked perfectly, giving them the upper hand. The boot came crashing out of the darkness, cracking hard into the side of his head and sending him sprawling off the top of the man.

He rolled a few feet, trying to blink away the daze but not being able to. The room tilted around him as his pain filled his skull enough to make his stomach roll. He got it, he finally got what was happening, what this man wanted.

"I will use my last breath to make sure you don't get it..." He muttered out before he was pitched into the darkness once more, body going still on the cold cement of the floor.

The form moved out of the shadows, the dim light falling across the facial features of one familiar. Don Corneo smiled down at his new prize, his pitbull at the end of his chain. He knelt down, a hand coming up and out and reaching to stroke the unconscious Turk's cheek in a tender move.

"Let the training begin..."

**_Il mio cane: "_My Dog"**

**_Io non sono vostro cane: _"I am not your dog."**

_**Cane: **_**"Dog"**

_**Bastardo: **_**Bastard**

**-And there you go, the next chapter! I know its a little confusing right now, but trust me that the mention of Reno's father will make sense later. Also, I always think of Don Corneo speaking with an Italian accent. Given the whole "Don" thing. This is why he speaks in Italian to Reno.**

**Any who, hope you enjoyed! Please review to let me know what you think!**

**~Safaia~**


	4. Chapter Three: Strong Men Die

**A/N: And the next chapter! Not really much to say about this one other then it ended up a lot longer then I expected it to. **

**And thank you Weisslilie for the lovely comments so far. I have to admit, I dislike stories that too drastically take character out of their character without very good reason. My goal is to not do that with in this story, so please, let me know if I stray XD In fact, in this chapter I do make the attempt to capture the personalities of the other Turks as well as continuing to expand on Reno's.**

**With that said, enjoy!**

Chapter Three: Strong Men Die

"_Crowded streets are cleared away_

_One by one_

_Hollow heros separate_

_As they run_

_You're so cold_

_Keep your hand in mine_

_Wise men wonder while strong men die_

_Show me how it ends, its alright_

_Show me how defenseless you really are_

_Satisfied and empty inside_

_Well that's alright, lets give this another try."_

"_**So Cold : Breaking Benjamin"**_

It had been a few days since the explosion at the mansion of Don Corneo, but it wasn't as though Reno had been able to follow time. It was impossible to do such in the basement given that there were no windows to denote the passing of time, the rise and fall of the sun. It was just a stream of moments of unconsciousness broken by rough hands and brutal beatings. At first Reno had only been able to live on the hope that they were beating him ragged so they would have some graphic pictures to send back to Shinra, likely another ploy by the Don. Make a public announcement for his pardon, get the battered Turk back.

The only thing that had squandered that hope was what that man had said to him. They had called him their dog, or said that he would become their dog. Just like his father. It was that thought that had controlled his dreams in the moments of blackouts since then. Years had passed without a thought of that man and now it was the only thing that consumed his brief moments of escape from the basement.

_That was where he was now, lost in his world of dreams. Reno was only ten years old on the day that his mother left. There had been no warning, no goodbyes. His father was off on one of his jobs and Reno had spent the day causing a ruckus in the slums with a few friends. To say that he was a handful as a child would have likely been the understatement of the decade. Reno was constantly getting in trouble, always bringing angry shop keepers to their doorstep. At the time, it was all funny to the ten year old. Piss off the old people and watch them buzz around like hornets. Never once had he stopped to think of the toll it had on his family._

_His mother was slowly loosing herself, growing frail of body and mind. So it shouldn't have been a surprise that one day Reno returned home to find her missing. He had searched all over the house before double checking outside as well before returning home. It was hours later that his father returned home to find Reno sitting at the kitchen table, scowling at the burnt dinner he'd tried to cook for himself but then couldn't stomach. His father had stood in the kitchen and sighed heavily._

"_She's gone, isn't she?" He asked his son, who had turned out to be the spitting image of himself. Shocking red hair, lithe features, and the propensity to get into trouble. The eyes though, those aqua orbs, those were all his mother's. And now they were glaring at the uneatable meal, glossy with the tears the ten year old boy refused to shed. His only response to his father was a short nod of the head and a grunt._

_The man sighed again. To be honest, he'd expected this a lot sooner though a part of him still felt the disappointment and rage that the woman had allowed her son to be left alone in the slums. There had been no time line for when he could return and the young Reno could have been alone for days. Luckily this job had been local and simple. The eldest Sinclair turned his attention back to his son as the boy sniffed, heart softening more then it should have._

"_You know Reno, its okay to cry." His father spoke, stepping forward and placing a gentle hand on his son's shoulder. Reno jerked away from the touch, turning his face away from his father._

"_I ain't crying." He muttered weakly. "Tough men don't cry over anything."_

_His father had seemed almost pained at these words. All he had wanted for his son was the best possible life, one away from the type of things that he had become wrapped up in. He'd actually gone so far as to make sure that his bosses didn't even know that he had a son. He would not raise his child in his footsteps. Right now his son needed support and seeing as he was trying to act like an adult the man figured treating him like an adult and letting him grieve like one would be the best help._

"_Alright then, up boy." He made sure that his tone came out as an order. It was one of the sure fire ways to get the boy's attention. _

_Sure enough, Reno's eyes snapped over towards his father in no way softening. Their glare was like ice, as if blaming the man before him for his mother's vanishing act. "What?" He finally grumbled, though he didn't move to stand._

_His father clucked his tongue slightly against the back of his front teeth, a habit his son would develop later. Without a word he turned and left the room leaving Reno blinking in confusion. He came back with a small black bag, silence still sitting thick in the small beaten home. Dropping the leather case to the table, his father spoke in the same strict tone._

"_You wanna be a tough guy, Reno? Tough guys get marked." His father suddenly rolled up a sleeve, showing off the symbol on his forearm marked in deep red ink. Reno had always been fascinated by the tattoo and was eager to get one of his own. Often times he begged his father for one, but the man always waved him off, telling him not until he got older._

"_You mean I finally get one?" The boy asked, excitement causing the blue-green orbs to shine. "For real?"_

_His father laughed, opening the bag and dumping the contents onto the table. Small jars of ink, needles and a lighter clattered down on the wood. He reached behind him and grabbed a chair, pulling it up close to his son and sitting down across from him. Plucking a needle out of the clatter, he held it between two fingers and then grabbed up a lighter. The flint clicked as the flame sprung forth and began to heat up the metal, sterilizing it slowly._

"_Yes, Reno, for real." He continued to chuckle as his son squirmed, popping the lid off one of the jars of deep red ink. "Now sit still, I don't want to poke an eye out."_

"_An eye?" The boy blinked, but sat perfectly still in the chair as instructed. "You're gonna mark my face?"_

_His father began dipping the tip into the red liquid. At first there was a slight hiss as the heated metal met the cold ink and he almost reconsidered doing this to a ten year old boy. But there would be no better way. The boy's mother was gone and his father would be away often. Reno needed to feel like a man, have some control._

"_Yea boy, the toughest men get their faces marked. Now no moving and no talking. Talking makes your face move."_

_At those words Reno fell still again and with a slow breath, the elder Sinclair went to work. It took nearly four hours to draw the curves along the boy's cheekbones. Impressively enough, his son had sat perfectly still through the entire thing, no flinches, no squirming, no sounds of pain. When he sat back, he looked over the new tattoos on the ten year old's face. As he figured, the deep marks brought out the bright aqua of his eyes. In time, his son's memory of his mother would fade but at least he would have a permanent reminder of her._

"_All done?" Reno asked, flinching when he realized that he'd spoken._

_His father only laughed and nodded slowly, now beginning to gather the supplies back up into the bag. Once they were stored safely away, he turned back to see Reno staring at himself in a spoon, trying to make out his new tattoos and muttering words about them being cool. His father reached out and gripped his arm, pulling his son back and hoisting him on to his lap._

"_Alright, now listen to me Reno." He spoke, tone serious. "You're marked, you're a tough guy. But there's something that I need you to know. Tough guys can cry. Crying won't make you weak if the reason for it is good. And matters of the heart are always a good reason. So if you ever feel like crying, just remember that those tears will each touch your marks making them tough tears. So if you ever feel like crying for anything, even over your mother, you just go ahead and do it."_

_There was a few moments silence as Reno lowered his head, not wanting to look at his father. Then the small frame started to tremble before a sniffing sound broke the silence. Finally Reno's head turned up, shinning blue green eyes staring at his father as tears slipped down the freshly tattooed cheeks._

"_She left, Dad. Mom left." And that was all it took. The dam opened and the tears poured out as sobs rattled out of the small boy and he buried his face in his father's chest, just clinging to his shirt. The elder Sinclair just sat stroked his son's hair, letting the boy weep for his lost parent._

"_I'm still here Reno. I'll be here with you for a long time." He murmured to the sobbing ten year old, not knowing that he was lying to his son, and that by the end of the year, he'd be dead..._

A wave of icy cold water jerked Reno from the grasp of his dream memories and dragged him back into the reality of the basement he was imprisoned in. Despite the fact that earlier he had been wishing for the pleasantry of a shower to wash away the blood and the grime that had built up on his body, the shock of the temperature that washed over him now was not exactly what he had in mind.

He sputtered, choking on the liquid that abruptly filled his mouth and nose. It stopped his breath for a moment, the cold so gripping that it seemed to freeze his very lungs in his chest. Short gasps shook his form until the warm, damp air seemed to finally thaw out his insides. It didn't help though, as ice still seemed to grip his entire body. That was not right. His prison may have been a basement, but the one thing it never was was cold. The room actually seemed to have a thick, musky warmth, like a sauna that's flame was running low.

Aqua eyes were forced open, the room remaining blurred for a moment until it all finally came into focus. Reno turned to look down, finding himself strapped to a steel chair that was sitting in a tin bucket. The basin was filled with water that rose up to about mid calf. The numbness that seemed to grip the Turk's lower legs suggested that it was just as cold as the water that had been unceremoniously hurled in his face. He tried to will his body not to react to the cold, to remain passive, but the shudders wracked his form against his better wishes. There was a faint clicking that kept ringing in his ears, annoying him until he realized that it was his own teeth chattering. The least he could be thankful for was that he had been unconscious for the painful shock of the ice water on his body. Licking his purplish lips slowly, Reno turned his head in the direction of the man that had thrown the water in his face.

"So glad to see you decided to let me take a bath." He tried to keep his voice level and calm, but the uncontrollable clattering of his teeth made it hard. "But I think you need to call a plumber. Your water heater appears to be busted."

"Still all jokes it seems, _mi cane_." Don Corneo appeared like a shadow from Reno's left side. It was a little startling how the effect of the cold water had dulled his senses. Now even a pudgy bastard like the Don was getting the drop on him. "Haven't you even thought about the deal I am proposing to you? I would prefer this to go in a much more civilized manner, and to be quite honest I would like to avoid what we would have to do next."

Reno snorted, unable to stop the scoffing sound that left him. That could stand as his answer to the Don's ridiculous question. He had always known that Corneo was a stupid man, but it was only further proven if he thought he could torture a Turk into submitting. They were trained fiercely for this sort of thing, as the risk of capture was high in their line of work. A Turk that would simply fold beneath pain and relinquish secrets was as worthless as a bull with tits.

"Oh?" He finally spoke, voice still holding its trademark cocky tone despite how hoarse it came out. "What would that be? You going to brush my teeth with a pine cone? Or maybe wipe my ass with some glass shards? Be my guest, wouldn't feel it right now any way."

Corneo's nose scrunched up at the crude ideas that Reno had spouted out. The crime boss was not as stupid as many seemed to think he was. Leading the underground crime circuit took a certain type of brain power, the crafty kind. One had to learn secrets and how to exploit them, sought weaknesses and crushed them. He knew from past stories of others that had been lucky enough to catch a Turk that they were not easily swayed or taken down, nor did torture break them. They either died in captivity or inexplicably located and rescued from even the most obscure places. So there was not a moment that he had fooled himself into thinking that a few days of pain would get him what he wanted from the red head. No. There had to be more. A total break down of the soul rather then of the body.

"You are a rather rude one, but that is all right. We will work that out of you." The crime boss sighed and lifted a hand, moving two fingers in a 'come' gesture. "So I suppose we will cease with the small talk and just move on ahead."

Reno arched a brow as two men carried a second large basin into the room. More ice water? He snorted again at the idea. Cold water was surely a painful method of short term torture. It was not the first time that the Turk had been up against this sort of thing. Its failing was that eventually the nerve endings went numb as the blood flow ceased and the pain went away. Right now it felt that they had allowed him to sit too long in the water while blacked out so that by the time he'd awakened, the blood flow had already ceased. So he only smirked until he saw what was different. This basin of water was steaming, small waves of vapor puffing up from the water's surface. Oddly enough, the sight made him crave a cigarette and he assumed his pack was still in the pocket of his missing jacket.

"Ah, so I finally get a hot bath?" He sighed almost wistfully, putting on the show as he slunk down in the chair and looked to the two men that had carried in the basin. "Which one of you is going to scrub my back? Cause I warn you, I'm ticklish."

The men scowled back at him. Over the past few days they had made it rather clear that they despised his retorts. Such distaste usually manifested in sharp punches and solid kicks. Reno seemed to thrive on it. He was a sly man, even though most did not think it or realize it. They saw him as a goofball, a joker, did not take him seriously. The truth was that he was the most deadly of the Turks; agile, strong, stealthy, and smart. Which was what he was being now. Frustrating the enemy so that they lost their cool when around him. Normally it worked better when he was not tied down to a chair and was able to get off a few shots himself. Reno could only figure this was why he was now tied down.

"My dear Reno." Don chuckled, it seemed that he at least found the comments humorous. "Do you know what is the most painful thing to do to a person that is in the state of freezing that you are in?"

Reno leaned back in the chair, trying to judge how far along the cold damage was. He tried to move his feet, ordering his toes to curl. None of the digits responded and he was only awarded a dull throb for his efforts. Wonderful. He was wondering if he was going to end up loosing some toes after this.

"Forgetting to cook the soup?" He asked, letting his head fall to hang limply over the back of the chair. As much as he wanted to continue the banter, the freezing water was starting to have its effect on his body, dropping his body temperature and leaving him feeling sluggish. Part of him was hoping that he would be allowed the bliss of his dreams again.

"No, my little pet." Corneo's voice whispered. "It is this..."

One of his legs was suddenly unstrapped and grabbed roughly. Reno found it ironic that he could hardly feel the vice like grip on his limb, the grip of a hand that had caused him pain. He chuckled gently, dragging his head upwards finally, ready to make some snarky comment about playing a game of "Little Piggy Went to Market". The joke left him though as his foot was shoved roughly into the basin of boiling hot water.

The shock of pain was almost instantaneous. The hot water swirled up around his ankle, the boiling temperature forcing a rush of blood into the appendage. All the nerves came back to life with roaring agony. Reno jerked in the chair, pressing against the straps that held him down as a grunt left his lips. He struggled back after a few moments, trying to yank his leg back from the hold that was keeping it submerged. But there was no winning that one. The warm water was beginning to feel like acid against his skin and Reno had to gnash his teeth together to keep anything more then grunts from escaping his lips.

He was not sure how long it lasted, but finally his leg was pulled back from the sulfuric basin. Reno sagged back against the chair, hissing out a slow breath. The smirk from the men surrounding him was almost infuriating and he could not help but try and wipe the look off their faces. He wiggled his toes gently, rewarded with motion from the tiny digits.

"Look at that." He wheezed out with a laugh. "They moved."

The reward for the comment was having the limb shoved back into the cold water. Once more he was hit with that electric like jolts of pain that registered from the temperature shock. He jerked in the chair, chest pressing forward against the restraints. It felt as though his foot had been shoved into a basin of glass shards rather then water, stabbing bolts of pain assaulting every inch of flesh. His teeth came down in a chomping motion on this lower lip, feeling the taste of blood as the flesh tore in his own teeth.

It took a few times moments for him to register the world around him again. Or at least what his world had become, a stone room surrounded by men while he was chained to a wall. His throbbing leg had been refastened to the chair. It was the first thing he noticed given he was now slumped forward against his bindings. He chocked on a sound that was mixed between a laugh and a groan.

"Well, that was a hell of a bath." He muttered, swaying a bit. Reno finally lifted his chin to glance at Corneo in front of him and smiling. "Oh, is that your plan? You're going to bathe me to death. I suppose I think of worse ways to go out."

Don Corneo sigh, now stepping forward and moving to the side of Reno's chair. The Turk had to admit that this move shocked him. The crime boss was always careful to remain just outside of Reno's range at all times. Though he supposed it was because at the moment he was safely restrained and of little threat. The crime boss reached out, cupping Reno's chin. His thumb moved gently, the pad stroking over the dark red tattoo along the cheek bone.

"You know, your father had a tattoo with the same color. Very unusual, did he give you this?" Don asked, chuckling at the reaction. Reno had gone stiff, aqua orbs flashing with the rage that simmered there. The Turk tried to wrench his head from the grasp.

"Don't fucking touch me." He snarled. "And I thought I told you not to talk about my father. You don't fucking know the man."

"Tsk Tsk, so angry my little _cane_." Corneo murmured, giving Reno's cheek one last stroke before stepping away.

Reno watched him, glaring with pure fury. Up until this point he had been able to keep himself amused with off handed barbs towards the lackeys that beat him and continuing to trump every attempt of the mobster to drive him into enough of a world of pain that he would agree to whatever they wanted. He had been treating it like a vacation rather then an abduction. For the first time in two days, a small voice was starting to speak up from the back of his mind pleading to go home, to be rescued. He knew the chip should have been enough for the rest of his team to find him. So what was taking them so long?

Don raised his hands to motion to the two men once more. Reno gritted his teeth, preparing for the cold-then-hot bath. Now that he had been fully submerged in the cold once more, his body was starting to tremble in the desperate attempt to produce body heat. His breathes were starting to come in a series of shallow pants. It was this that stopped him form noticing that one of the lackeys had moved behind him.

A leather strap was suddenly shoved roughly between his lips, the force behind the action snapping his head back sharply. A grunt left him as Reno tried to shake his head and free himself of the offending object. His body jerked roughly in the chair, a slur of angry curse words caught with in the leather. Flashing orbs turned to Don, hoping to set the man on fire with a look alone.

That was when Reno saw it, swirling slowly in a loop within the Don's hand. The dim light flashed off the steel of his own EMR. Shit, shit, shit. Aqua orbs snapped down to the bucket of water and steel chair that he was stuck in. As the crime boss's thumb clicked against the switch, the rod sparked to life with the low hum of electricity. Almost as though controlled by the same button, Reno jerked forward trying to struggle against the binds that forced him down.

"Poor little Turk." Don murmured, stepping forward, fatal tip of the weapon swinging a little close to the water basin for Reno's comfort. "I really had hoped that you would have agreed to our deal. Then I would not have had to do this for our safety. Alas, I cannot have the rest of you black suits swinging in to pluck you from my grasp. Now just rest easy, _mi cane_, this will only hurt for a moment."

Reno jerked forward, trying to scream out past the leather strap as the Don jabbed the tip of EMR into the basin of water. The reaction was immediate. Reno's eyes opened wide as his jaw clenched down tightly, teeth bearing into the leather that had been shoved into his mouth. His lithe form jerked up off the metal of the chair as the Turk loss control over his muscles. Nerves snapped off, sending twitches through out his body. But none of that was compared to the weight that was building painfully in his chest as he found himself unable to take in any air. A fist was tightening around his heart, squeezing down with a horrid tightness that was excruciating. His lungs burned from the need for oxygen yet his convulsing form would not allow it.

And then it stopped, as if a light switched had been flipped. The tightness in his chest seemed to release all at once muscles going slack as aqua orbs rolled back in their sockets. Reno's form slumped forward, head dangling limply so that his chin pressed against a chest that was no longer rising and falling with breath.

Against a heart that was no longer beating.

….VII...VII...VII...VII...VII...

The air was filled with a tension that was so strong it almost had a taste, one that left the mouth dry and filled with cotton. This was proven by the fact that the only sound that had echoed in the room during the last hour was the clearing of throats and deep swallows. Now and again there was a sharp cough. This had been the soundtrack for this room for the past two days, broken only by brief moments of furious activity. This started when the large screen hanging on the far wall twisted at nerves and tugged at heart strings.

Rude sat on a plush couch, leaning forward with his head resting in his hands. The last thing he wanted to see was the screen that showed the vitals and status of his missing partner. Shinra had been frantic, trying to figure out what had happened on the night of the explosion. Despite Rude's momentary breakdown over the belief that Reno had been inside the house when it had gone up in flames, it had been later determined that the red head was still alive. Tseng had tapped into Reno's chip to show his vitals still functioning and running stable. From there it had been easy enough to figure out what had really happened.

Don Corneo had purposely been raping that woman out side the well known SOLDIER bar, just waiting for one drunk and self righteous Shinra muscle to attempt to stop the crime. Intoxication made it easy enough to take him down and rile up forces. The crime boss had been sly enough to know that the one crime that would go unforgiven would be the death of a Shinra employee. From there he paid a girl to pretend to turn over information on his true home for money. With that done it was only a matter of setting up the ambush and playing it out, finding a way to separate the two Turks, isolating Reno, dragging him off and covering up the evidence of a retreat with the distraction of an explosion. And it had all worked beautifully. So beautifully in fact, that the remaining Turks couldn't help but fester around the office in shame.

The woman had been picked up and questioned, in which she had admitted to as much of the plan as she knew. With tears in her eyes, she'd begged for forgiveness, claiming she thought they only wanted money or something and that she was sure in a few days they would get some kind of ransom.

Two days had passed and there had been no word from the abductors nor any sightings of Don Corneo anywhere. The Turks had holed themselves up in Tseng's office where the large screen was filled with Reno's vitals. Heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory, brainwave patterns, even down to such things as blood levels so that they could tell blood loss. For the most part they remained steady and even, likely times where the missing Turk was blessedly unconscious. Then there were times where the vitals spiked, leaping to dangerous levels. It was in these moments that panic ensued in the room, each black suit knowing that their partner and friend was being tortured. It was as if each Turk was feeling the same pain as their friend.

"How can we not locate him yet?" Elena squeaked on this day, causing Rude to lift his head out of his hands. Reno's vitals had remained blessedly stable for the past few hours, showing that his captors had been kind enough to leave him be for a while. "I thought half the point of these implants was that they allowed us to be tracked for cases just like this one? So it turns out they're essentially useless!"

Tseng was rubbing at the bridge of his nose gently. As much as he cared about his partner, she had such an awful habit of not knowing when to stop talking. It often times got them in trouble so lord help them if the situation were ever set up where she was held captive. Though she was not allowed to be on mission without Tseng by her side until he was positive she could stand up to torture.

To what Reno was going through right now. The Director flinched at the thought and he instantly chided himself for even temporarily thinking that it was better that his second in command had been the one taken instead.

"They are not useless Elena, we have been over this." The Director muttered, index finger and thumb giving the bridge of his nose a last squeeze before lowering a hand to the mouse. With a swift click, a small map of Midgar flashed up beside Reno's vitals. A small red dot was flashing across the map, flicking through the various sectors. "There is something interfering with the tracking recognition. For some reason we cannot pin it down yet. We have the best Shinra minds working on it. I was informed that by the end of the day, this malfunction should be worked out and we will have a location."

Rude sighed heavily from his spot on the couch, drawing the attention of the other two to him suddenly. It had always been normal for the bald headed Turk to remain oddly silent when not around his partner, but after his release from the medical ward it had become worse. For brief moments it was almost as though he'd gone catatonic.

"I shouldn't have left him in there alone." The man muttered. "Had I stayed...had I objected until someone else was there, he'd still be here. It's my fault..."

Tseng frowned and hit a button, shutting down the map and only leaving up Reno's stable stats. Pushing back from his desk he moved over to sit beside the man. The Director had never been good at having to comfort others, usually keeping his emotions in check in order to do his job without conflict. And now that fact was biting him in the ass as he reached out, hand pausing in the air just over Rude's knee. He was about to give it an awkward pat when a knock at the door drew him back. A sharp breath left the Director as he pushed up, all business now and desperately glad for the distraction of work to pull him back from emotional turmoil.

"It is not your fault Rude." He offered gently before turning in the direction of the door and calling out. "You may enter."

A mop of black hair poked into the room, First Class SOLDIER Zack Fair trying to offer an enchanting smile about the room. He had always been told that his smile could disarm even the most tense situation. Because of that Sephiroth had continued to send him down to the Turks office to get the information needed on the case. Zack had to admit it was probably a good idea. If Tseng was controlled, then Sephiroth was down right apathetic and would likely only make the situation worse.

"Heya, just checking in." He continued smiling though now it came a bit forced. Even simply stepping into the room caused the dark tension to roll over the SOLDIER. "Any changes?"

Tseng shook his head, moving back to his original seat behind the desk. Once there he reopened the map to show Zack the flashing of the dot. Truth be told, the Shinra techs had already worked some small miracles. The day before they hadn't even been able to get the location beacon to appear. It lead to the hope that they would be true to their word and have it pinned down to one local that they could raid later.

"I am afraid not, Fair." Tseng spoke, rising to his feet once the map was in place. The Director had always had an odd quirk of needing to be standing when a SOLDIER or higher ranked Shinra official was in his office. Reno had once joked that the Turks were the only ones that had been allowed the knowledge that Tseng's ass had a use other then holding sticks. The mere mental mention of the missing Turk caused a flinch to creep on the Director's face. "We were promised by the end of the day to be able to confirm a location. Once we have that, we will move and no criminal life, no matter how influential its help may be, will be spared if that level of force is required."

Zack raised a hand, rubbing at the back of his neck. His mako enhanced eyes turned to the large computer screen that sat on the wall like a television screen. It wasn't the map that he was looking at though. It was the medical stats that he couldn't pull his eyes away from. He was no doctor, far from it, and all the numbers and letters left him confused as hell. There was no way for him to figure out if the read outs were good or bad. Or worse, dangerous.

"And, um, with all this...other stuff..." The man that moved so gracefully with a weapon was no more then a bumbling fool when it came to tact. Though Zack was not sure who would blame him. Who could be tactful in a situation like this? The SOLDIER frowned for a moment. He knew who could blame him, or at least who would make a rude comment out his lack of verbal grace. Reno. Shit, it wasn't until a person was not around that one realized how much they actually effected the lives around them.

"Stable for the majority of the day, thankfully." The Director's voice pulled Zack from his inner monologue. "There was a brief increase in heart rate earlier, but it was only for a few moments. We can only assume that Reno woke and had a moment of confusion before calming down. Since then it has been steady."

"Ah, well that's good news!" Zack clapped his hands together, hoping that any sign of happiness might drive the dark cloud from this office. It was like standing in the ICU wing of the medical labs. Just the overwhelming sense of people standing around and waiting for the news that their loved one has passed on. "Maybe it means they've left him alone, or figured he wouldn't talk. Reno may run his mouth, but we all know he's the best damn Turk around." Zack paused, blinking slowly at the Director as his verbal grace faceplanted once more. "Uh...present company not included, Sir."

This muttering actually produced a smile from Elena, the blond Turk having remained strangely silent after her earlier outburst. Zack caught the lip twitch and offered her a goofy shrug as if to say _'sorry, can't help it'._ Even Tseng had to chuckle softly. It was comments like these that allowed the Director a little insight into way the General kept sending his own second in command rather then taking the lead on such a high profile case. Zack was an amazing SOLDIER, almost a prodigy. A well oiled and trained warrior. But Zack had something that most SOLDIER's did not. Innocence. He was goofy and fun loving and his presence did something that the rest of the Turk team needed, something that Reno normally gave them to ease the high tension that often accompanied Turk missions. Humor.

"As much as we would like to believe that, Fair, it is highly unlikely." Tseng walked around the side of the desk. He paused for a moment, catching a framed picture on the edge of his desk that caused a sudden and sharp pang. It was a picture of his team, himself, Elena, and Rude standing stoically, professionally. But there in the middle was Reno, arms slung carelessly over Rude and Tseng's shoulders, tongue hanging out in a rock star manner. At the time, Tseng had given him such grief over that photo, told him he needed to act in a more dignified manner in public. Funny how now he would give anything to have Reno goofing around in company photographs. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the SOLDIER.

"If they were going to release him, Reno would have found a way to contact us by now." He finally continued, mind back on the present situation rather then the past memories. "There was a very specific reason for this abduction, and as of yet there has been no demand of ransom. Not to mention that he has been likely taken by Don Corneo or some of his associates. Chances are that Reno is being held as a bargaining chip, either against us or a rival crime syndicate."

"Oh..." Zack trailed off, moving to flop down on the couch beside Rude. Mako eyes turned towards the bald Turk and easily did what Tseng had been unable to do. A gloved hand patted against Rude's thigh and the shaded gaze turned towards the SOLDIER, the bald man offering a weak smile. "Well, then we just have to think the Tech's will have it done tonight and by this time tomorrow you'll have that spunky bastard back and driving you all crazy again!"

This time Elena managed an audible laugh at the joke, even though the sound was somewhat sad. It voiced all the thoughts that were in the blonde's head. She wanted to believe it and wanted to be able to joke about Reno, but still felt bad being able to feel even a glimpse of happiness in this moment. Now Tseng knew the other reason that it had been Zack assigned to this case. The boy had been in a situation similar to this as well. His mentor had gone missing, rumors swirling about it. He had suffered days of not knowing what was going on with a man that he had cared deeply for. The pain and torment of not knowing, of searching, hunting, and tracking, of being in the dark and tormenting ones' self with the plethora of 'what ifs'. Zack knew first hand of the emotions that were plaguing the Turk team and he could be the best support board.

The SOLDIER glanced up at the monitor again and this time a slight frown tugged at the corners of his lips. One gloved hand raised up as he pointed to the multitude of numbers.

"Hey..." He mused slowly. "What's that one number that keeps dropping mean?"

All the Turks' eyes snapped to the screen to see what Zack was pointing out. One set of numbers was starting to drop. It was a slow decrease, but one glance at the Director's face would tell anyone that it was still a bad thing.

"His body temperature is dropping, more rapidly then just a simple change in room temperature." Tseng frowned, trying to piece together in his mind what forms or torture or trauma would cause such a thing. A ragged breath left him, the sound coming close to a groan. "Ice bath, often used to slow the body's reaction and impair the normal brain functions. It can sometimes make even the toughest easier to crack as they do not fully realize what they're saying. Hypothermia can cause effects much like intoxication."

"Gaia...they're starting again. Why can't they just leave him alone." Elena's voice came out pitiful and Zack felt his heart go out to the woman. She may have argued constantly with Reno but it was beyond obvious that seeing the vitals of her friend as he was put through the ringer was tearing her apart. The SOLDIER was about to get up and move to her side when he felt the tightening of Rude's muscles beneath his hand. Shit, this was getting bad.

Silence fell over the room, thickening the cloud that was hanging above them. For a while there was nothing other then the slow decrease in body temperature, every other vital pointing out the idea that the missing Turk was still blissfully unaware of the cold he was facing. After a few minutes, Tseng mumbled a curse under his breath, another set of numbers on the screen beginning to alter. Zack blinked up at him.

"What's that mean?" He asked, now feeling like an idiot that he could only stare at the stats like a chocobo handed a math problem. It probably helped no one in the room either for him to be sitting there asking for a play by play of their friend's torment.

"It means Reno woke up." Rude grumbled from beside the SOLDIER. His voice almost caused Zack to jerk in surprise. And he might have if the pure anguish in the man's tone didn't weigh him down to the couch like a chain.

Within moments, most of the numbers on the screen were spiking and dipping, flashing across the screen in ways that were making Zack dizzy. He had not been present during any of the occurrences of Reno's torture and at the moment he couldn't have been more glad. The numbers made him cringe. It was one thing to hear about torture, to experience it, but to have it graphed out? It made it seem all the more frightening. Buzzing and beeping signified the pain that was twisting through the missing Turk where ever he was.

A sharp shrill burst through the room, which drew a sharp cry from Elena. Zack was about to ask what was going on, but he was distracted as Rude launched up from the couch beside him, nearly knocking the SOLDIER to the floor. The man's face was twisted up and pale, and for a moment Zack thought the Turk was going to be sick.

"Wh..what are they doing to him?" The man rasped, staggering forward towards screen. "His heart...they're putting too much stress on his heart. He's going into cardiac arrest! What the hell? What the hell are they doing? Stop it! You're going to kill him! _You're going to kill Reno!"_

Zack swallowed hard, the questions he had been too uncomfortable to ask now answered with such devastating clarity that he wished it had remained a secret. He did not have the widest bank of knowledge when it came medical terms, but he did know what cardiac arrest meant. It meant that Reno's heart was failing. That he was being killed. Zack's stomached twisted into knots as he watched the line that signified heart rate jolting in deep harsh crevices. Only one thought was going through the SOLDIER's mind, the same thought that was clogging the thoughts of all those in the room.

_Don't let him die..._

There was a sudden harsh wail that droned throughout the room, like nails a chalkboard. The line that had moments before danced across the screen now went completely flat. The heartbeat it had moments ago been registering was gone, had ceased. Shortly after that the screen flickered, the vitals that had been on constant surveillance vanished. The transmission from Reno's chip was dead.

There was a strangled sound, Rude hitting his knees as his eyes remained locked on the now empty screen.

"No..." The man whispered. "He can't be gone..."

But according to Shinra technology, Reno Sinclair of the Turks was dead.

**-No folks, this is NOT the end of the story. Far from it. You'll just have to wait until the next chapter to see what I have up my sleeve for our favorite little captive. ;)**

**So please review and let me know what you think. Reviews help me make the story better!**

**~Safaia~**


	5. Chapter Four: Still Holding On

**A/N: Only really two notes to make here. First and likely most notable is that I changed the title of the story. The new one is much more appropriate for the idea I have for the story and the way I plan to have it play out. **

**Secondly, thank you for all the lovely reviews. I was always enjoy reading them!**

**Read and enjoy :)**

Chapter Four: Still Holding On

"_The shadow of a man_

_I'm nothing less_

_I am holding on, still holding on_

_And every now and then life begins again_

_I am holding on, still holding on_

_I'm not like you_

_Your faceless lies_

_Your weak dead eyes_

_I'll make it through, but not this time_

_Your hope is gone, and so is mine."_

_-Crawl : Breaking Benjamin-_

Something smashed against a wall, the sound of the wood splintering causing Tseng to raise a brow. The sound had come from Elena's room, but in all the years he had known her he had never once known his partner to unleash any form of a temper. The Director of the Turks paused just outside her room, hand resting on the silver knob. The debate of whether or not to enter the blond's apartment was simply added to his mind's troubles.

It had been two days since the flat line had shattered their world. They had tried desperately to reestablish a connection to Reno's intelligence chip, none of them wanting to believe what the screen had shown them, most of all Rude. The bald man had yet to leave Tseng's office, had yet to sleep. When ever the Director suggested he take even the shortest nap he was simply answered with an enraged glare. It was the reason the dark haired man was now avoiding his own sanctuary, having ordered Zack Fair to continue to stick around and watch out for Reno's partner.

The hard part came now, the part of the job that Tseng hated most and thankfully hadn't had to do often. Funeral arrangements. His grip on the door knob tightened once more as the strangest thing happened. Despair flashed through him, cracking his porcelain mask of emotionlessness and making a visible appearance on his features. How did one plan a memorial service for not only their second in command, but their friend? A friend they failed. The Director knew that Rude blamed himself for what had happened to Reno, but it was not the man's fault. Tseng was the leader of the Turks, suppose to be the best. It was his job to watch out for and take care of all of them. He hadn't. He had let Reno die somewhere alone and in pain. There was not even a body to wish safe passage to the life stream.

Tseng leaned forward, pressing his forehead against the cool wood of the door to Elena's room. How would he face his other subordinates now? How could he ever look any of them in the eye again and promise them that things would go smoothly, that the missions would be simple and they'd all make it back alive? After this his word was about as good hot sauce in milk. It left a sour taste in his mouth and curdled his stomach. So many years of locking his emotions away, of addressing everything calmly and coolly had filled a canyon in his mind and Reno's death was pushing him close to the edge.

The high pitched tinkle of shattering glass drew Tseng back from the ledge. Dark orbs snapped up and short prayer was blessedly spoken for the distraction. The mask fell back into place as he shoved a hand into his pocket and pulled out the master key. A lovely perk to being the Director was that with one key, he could access any room in the building. Shoving the door open he briskly entered without so much as a knock of warning in case the blonde Turk might be indecent at the moment.

"Elena?" He called out in a level tone, determined not to show any worry. "Are you alright? I believe I heard glass breaking."

He stopped short as he reached her bedroom, not having expected to walk into such a scene. All the items of her bedroom were strewn about, books lying half open, pages torn haphazardly from their spines. A laptop lay in the corner, screen splintered and only casting out warped and fractured images. But even through the damage anyone would have been able to tell by the fractioned sections of blazing red that she had been looking at images that had Reno in them. A desk sat over turned in the corner, papers and pens having reached a far arch of distance from when the small woman had amazingly found the strength to topple it.

Said girl sat in the middle of the room on her knees, a shattered jewelry box laying on the ground in front of her. It's mirrored surface lay about her in shatters as Elena tried desperately to sift the shards and every piece of silver or gold, blood dripping from a gash in her palm as her trembling hands worked almost fervently to collect the broken parts. It seemed that she had not even noticed the Director's presence yet, a worrisome detail as she was normally hyper aware of his being there and quick to the jump to please him. He'd half expected her to jump to shaky feet and give him an awkward salute before breaking out into nervous apologies over what was going on. Instead she kept shoving the mess around on the floor, glass splitting into her skin and opening a new wound, causing her to smear a red blood stain across the carpet.

"Elena." Tseng repeated, this time in a firmer tone, hoping to stop the brutal display before him and catch his partner's attention.

"I can't find it...I can't find it..." She muttered in a broken voice, still shifting through the mess and seemingly unaware that the voice behind her was that of her beloved partner. "It should be in here. I never take it out. It's not here. _It's not here_!"

With her final screech, Tseng tossed his professionalism out of his mind and swooped forward. In an instant his arms were around Elena and pulling her back and away from the glass to keep her from doing anymore damage to her hand. The blonde let out a startled gasp and arched, pushing against his hold as if in a moments desperation to get free.

"Elena, it is me." He whispered, keeping his voice low, but firm to let her know that it was only him, a technique meant to calm. "It is Tseng."

All at once Elena calmed, weight sagging back into his hold as her head fell forward. Tears began to spill down her cheeks as she held up her hand. Angry red gashes crossed over her palm, weeping out blood that trailed down her wrist.

"I can't find it Tseng. I never take it out of the jewelry box but it isn't there." She murmured again, tone wavering with tears.

"What is not there, Elena?" Tseng asked, reaching into an inner jacket pocket and pulling out a handkerchief. Being as careful as he could, he began to wrap the soft cotton around her bleeding hand. The Director applied a gentle pressure to try and slow the bleeding. It was obvious the girl would need stitches, but he didn't want to move her until he was able to sort the issue that was causing this break down.

"The necklace." She whispered, her free hand pointing towards the mass of bloody glass and jewelry.

Tseng blinked as he looked over the pile with an arched brow. So far as he could see there was a lot of necklaces in that pile, including her favorite. A thin silver chain with a small handgun charm hanging from the center. He had seen her wearing it many times before. In fact, he'd seen her wearing all this jewelry before. It did not appear that anything was missing.

"Elena...all your necklaces are there." He said and was rewarded by a vicious shaking of her head, hard enough to rattle her entire body.

"Not _that_ one, Tseng. _That_ one is missing." She whispered.

Tseng knew he would have to ask. If Elena was going to regain herself, she would have to work through whatever it was that had snapped her mind in this moment. Most might have been afraid that she had completely lost it, but Tseng new better. Turks were well trained in death and mayhem, to take as much as they gave and to stand strong in the face of great trauma. But no amount of training could prepare them for the loss of a friend in such a gruesome manner. Because of that, there was always a psychiatrist on staff. He knew that once Elena got out in the open what had dragged her down, she would be fine.

"What one, Elena?" He asked gently.

"He got it for me." She murmured slowly. "I hated it. It was so ugly and it pissed me off. But _he _got it for me."

She stopped speaking for a moment and Tseng felt he was starting to put some pieces together. It tugged at his heart and he had to choke back the sad groan that wanted to bubble up out of his throat. As much as the Director did not want to hear the rest, he still pushed her to continue.

"Tell me the whole story, Elena." He whispered, almost surprising himself as he raised a hand to gently stroke at her hair. She trembled before letting out a shaky breath.

"Remember when you sent me, Rude and Reno to Gongaga to baby sit that blonde woman as she cleaned out the reactor?" She started the story, closing her eyes as she wrapped her arms around her body gently. "It was the first mission you trusted me to go on without you, simply because Reno was there. You knew your second in command could keep track of me. The two of them were ribbing each other so I went for a walk and some people from the village came over, asking questions. I was bored and wasn't paying attention and I just opened my mouth and started spouting facts. It wasn't until I saw the look on Reno's face that I realized what I had been doing.

"I felt awful afterward and figured that you'd never trust me to do anything again. I was just sitting there in the helicopter when Reno walked up and handed me a box. I opened it and inside was this thick silver necklace with this large parrot charm hanging on it. The bird had these horrid gold gem eyes. It was so ugly I didn't know what to make of it and at first thought Reno was trying to be sweet on me but just had really bad taste when it came to gifts. But when I asked him he said it was because I reminded him of a parrot, and that I just repeated everything I'd heard even in the most awkward of situations. He spent weeks calling me Polly and I was so angry. I think a part of me hated him for it. I never wore the stupid thing, but I couldn't get rid of it either so I just shoved it into the jewelry box. But now...now that he's...he's gone...I wanted to wear it to the...to his...Gaia!"

She slumped over, sobbing now above the shattered jewelry box. Tseng frowned at the story wondering why he hadn't heard the story before this. Likely because he would have reprimanded Reno for hazing the rookie despite it being something the man did all the time. There wasn't a new recruit that did not undergo the mocking actions of his Second in Command. Though that wouldn't be the case anymore.

"I'm sure he will understand." Tseng spoke, dark eyes looking forward towards the heap of jewelry. He knew that memories were a normal custom in the passing of a friend but for the moment he did not want them. He wanted to be able to treat this like just another causality on the job. It would make the memorial service easier to plan and to attend. But this time it was not just another fallen SOLDIER or another missing Turk. This time it was his friend, a man that had been trained and groomed to replace him.

This time it was Reno.

"Come on Elena, let us get that hand patched up." He whispered, rising to his feet and pulling her up to her feet behind him. She moved bonelessly as they she had no control over her own body. She only nodded simply and moved to follow after him. Both were almost to the door when it busted in in front of them. It nearly rattled in the frame. Tseng tensed, ready to reach for his gun when he realized who it had been that had nearly flattened the duo with the front door.

Rude stood there panting, hazel eyes wide over the top of his sunglasses. The large man's chest was heaving as his frantic gaze settled on the Director and his startled partner. Without even waiting to be asked he blurted something out that took the breath from everyone in the room.

"We found Reno!"

...VII...VII...VII...VII...VII...VII...

There had been nothing but darkness stretching on around him, his body surrounded in a gentle warmth. It felt like he was floating along in a gentle current but there was no water. He decided quickly enough that he could stay in this place forever and be happy. There was a scent, something that filled his nose and caused every part of his body to relax. He was not sure where he was, or even who he was, just that he had never been more content in his life. A gentle sigh left him as he stretched his limbs out to try and soak in more of the warmth into his body.

A jolt suddenly flashed through his body and he arched. A scream poured out of him as he jerked. No, not again, not this again. This could not be happening here. This place, whatever this place was it was holy. He didn't want to leave and tried to curl up and shy away from the pain. Each breath was labored now, wheezing in as each became harder to pull in.

"Stop." He forced out through a tight throat as another jolt shook his entire frame. Why wouldn't it go away? All he wanted was to be left alone, to be left in this peaceful place where there was no fear, no pain, no thoughts. Yet somewhere there was something that refused to allow him this final serenity.

"No...s-stop...go away." He keened, clawing out into the darkness and trying to grip the warmth. His fingers slid through it as though trying to grasp on to nothing more then tendrils of vapor. It would be coming again soon, that horrible feeling that was disturbing his new world. He didn't want it, he wanted to stay here. Who could be so cruel as to want to take him from this place?

There was another jolt, like a sharp electricity. His back curled up off the ground as his eyes snapped open. He drew in a great sucking breath of air, choking on it. Great gasping sounds poured from him, broken only by gagging coughs. Rolling on to one side, he tried to curl into himself. The comforting warmth was gone and he was left trembling, trying to figure out what had happened. A bad dream? The stone beneath him was cold and felt good against his flushed skin. He heard the sound of footsteps coming closer over his own ragged breathing and he tried to open his eyes to see who it was, but his body would not comply.

"R-Rude?" He groaned out, figuring it was his partner rushing into the room thinking that the sounds he had made lead his bald partner to believe he was under attack.

"Not quite, _Cane_." The voice that answered was smooth and most certainly did not belong to his partner.

Reno jerked slightly as if he'd been struck. His moment of oblivious bliss was gone, now leaving him with the horrid memories of where he was and what was going on. He struggled to sit with sluggish moves, tucking his arms up underneath his aching chest and pushed up. A groan left him before he could bite it back, cursing himself mentally for showing this level of weakness in front of the Don.

"How do you feel, _mi Cane_?" Corneo mused, moving closer to the shuddering form. The pudgy crime boss had done well to keep his distance from the Turk, but he knew that at this moment the man did not have enough energy nor strength to fight back. As expected, Reno tried to take a swing at him and only wound up unceremoniously on his face, hissing as the stone floor cut into a cheek.

"Like I died." The agitated red head mumbled, turning a head to glare at the man that was now crouched beside him. "What the fuck did you do?"

The Don chuckled as he leaned forward from his crouched position, snaking a hand out to run sausage like fingers through the unruly red locks. They felt like silk beneath his touch and he unconsciously began to stroke the man's head. A soft hum left his lips as he twisted one strand of crimson between his fat fingers. Reno snarled and tried to shake the hand loose, but the Don only clamped down, now lacing his fingers into a tight grip on the Turk's hair and yanking his head up.

"I killed you, _mi cane_." He whispered, bringing his lips right up against Reno's ear as he spoke. The shiver that ran through the Turk's body both amused and aroused him. Corneo had never been one to be blatantly attracted to a man, preferring the softer flesh of one of his many girls, but this Turk did effect him. His long hair, thin form, and those shining blue green eyes. He licked his lips slowly, tongue brushing against the shell of Reno's ear. The reaction was amusing, the red head jerked with a short hiss of frustration over the fact that he did not have the strength to pull away.

"Get off me." Reno growled in a low tone, feeling his stomach roll at the closeness of the crime boss. He was about try another attempt to fight back when the words finally sank in. He remembered the bucket of water and his EMR. "Wait...killed me? Are you serious?"

Corneo's other hand came around as he held onto the man's hair tightly, the free hair stroking down his cheek. He was rewarded with another growl of anger from the Turk. So much like the dog he was in training to become. The man could almost picture him in a collar, baring his teeth in a feral snarl. It was a wonderful image that caused Corneo to purr against Reno's ear before he finally pulled back and released his hold on his hair.

"I had to stop your heart, my little pet." He mused, thick hand moving down to stroke over Reno's back. "You see, Turks are not the only ones that can get important information on people. I learned about those special little chips they pump into you at Shinra. There was no way I could risk your friends showing up to try and rescue you. In fact, I figured it would be better if they stopped looking for you all together. I had to make sure they thought you were dead. So I stopped your heart, and removed the damnable thing. It was timed perfectly, so as far as Shinra and they other Turks know, you are dead."

Reno's head was spinning at this point in time, arms sagging underneath his own weight. His body had not yet recovered from the trauma this man had done. The words haunted him in a way that words never had before. His friends, his only remaining family, they all thought he was dead? A groan left him as he pictured them sitting around Tseng's office, watching his heart stop. Rude had probably shattered. The chips were suppose to be helpful, help them be located and rescued, but instead his gave his partner and friends a first row seat to a tragedy they had no idea never really happened. A vague curse slipped past his lips as he glared back towards the man that was running a hand down his spine.

"How...how the fuck did you know about the chips?" He rasped out, throat suddenly dry. "Only Turks know about those. Not even the President knows about them."

The Don laughed gently, hand slipping down to run pudgy fingers along Reno's side, fingers dipping just beneath the waist of the man's pants. The Turk jerked, this motion being the breaker as his arms gave out, dumping his body to the floor. He wanted that room back, that lovely place that he had been floating in. He had been safe there, blissfully unaware of not only his pain, but the pain of those that he cared for.

"A little blonde birdie told me." Corneo murmured above him, dropping something to ground in front of Reno's face.

Reno reached out with a shaky hand, finger grasping at the shiny metal. His heart was already starting to sink before he could even look at what it was that he was grabbing a hold of. The chain still managed to sparkle in the dark basement, swaying gently with the weight of the guady charm on the end of it. The gem eyed parrot stared back at him almost accusing the Turk of getting it into this mess. He knew this necklace, knew who it belonged to. He had bought it for her as a horrible hazing joke.

"Oh Gaia...Elena..." He whispered, fingers encircling the parrot both to hold it close and to stop it from staring at him. Reno was pretty sure he knew what had happened. She had worn the ugly thing while searching for him, thinking it would bring them luck to wear something he had bought. But the worst possible luck must have befallen her and she wound up here. She was still, by all accounts, a rookie and hadn't been put through nearly as much as himself and the more veteran Turks and so it hadn't taken much for her to spill the information. Tears burned at his aqua orbs, but he refused to let them fall, not in front of this monster. "Please tell me you didn't kill her..."

"Oh of course not!" The Don bellowed with laughter, now in a great mood as he watched the first cracks appear in the Turk's armor. A way in, the only thing that bothered a Turk was loosing another Turk. "I made her point out where the chip was implanted while you were sleeping, then tied her up and let her watch us kill you. We escorted her out after that and dropped her off somewhere. We figured an eye witness would make your whole being dead thing more believable then just some numbers on a screen somewhere. She can bring the news back to your friends, back to your partner."

Reno's eyes slide closed, body shaking with relief. She was alive. That silly, ditzy little rookie was still alive. His tired mind and relieved heart were not sharp enough to pick out the little holes in the Don's story, or any of the lies. But the crime boss had been fibbing. It was a wonderful plan made only to further his efforts. He needed to know what would crack the red head fully, or at least enough to agree to the Don's wants. Nothing had worked so far, torture, threats, promises, even bribery. Each had been returned with sharp retorts and dangerously amused eyes. Reno was a Turk that Shinra could have been proud of for sure.

All it had taken, though, was a moment. A simple flash and the Don knew how he would have the boy. His eyes turned back down to Reno, waiting for a retort only to find that he was unconscious, hand still gripping the horrendous bird pendant. Yes, if this had had such an effect on the red head, then he knew exactly what to do to get what he wanted. A hand reached down, stroking over Reno's cheek softly and the boy flinched in his sleep. Corneo chuckled as he stood up and began to leave the room.

Soon, soon he would have his dog.

**-Meh, not really impressed with this chapter myself but it was one of those low action ones used to push plot forward. I must admit I intended to have much more torture scenes leading up to this point, but I scaled back because I wanted the parts of Reno's captivity to flow with the events going on with the other Turks.**

**Any who, things should start picking up towards the thick of the plot in the next chapter and what exactly it is that Don is after and why should be fully explained with more fund and twists as always. I do love me a good cliff hanger. XD**

**Hope you enjoyed and please review!**

**~Safaia~**


	6. Chapter Five: Sacrifice Yourself

**A/N: Sorry about how long it took to get this update out! I've been dealing with a sick dog and haven't had the time to dedicate to writing as much as I normally do. But he's getting better so I can get back to writing.**

**So here's the next chapter and its starting to get into the thick of things. I know some things are some confusing but I promise it will be cleared up before the story is through, as will the Don's true desires.**

**So read, enjoy, and feel bad for Reno. .**

Chapter Five: Sacrifice Yourself

"_I see nothing in your eyes_

_And the more I see the less I like_

_Is it over yet, in my head?_

_I know nothing of your kind_

_And I won't reveal your evil mind_

_Is it over yet? I can't win_

_So sacrifice yourself, and let me have what's left_

_I know that I can find the fire in your eyes_

_I'm going all the way, get away, please_

_You take the breath right out of me_

_You left a hole where my heart should be_

_You got to fight just to make it through_

_'Cause I will be the death of you."_

_**-Breath: Breaking Benjamin-**_

Tseng had not wanted to feel hope after Rude had busted down Elena's door with an announcement that had rattled them to the core. Yet those words, those three little words, had caused something to blossom in the Director's chest that he had spent years trying to force down, a feeling he had locked away since trying to free Veld from Shin-Ra hands.

_Hope._

He had warned himself not to feel it, had even cursed his own heart for it. Every part of the collected man snarled at the emotional one that he had locked away so desperately. There was no happy ending to this one and all that awaited him and his two remaining Turks was heartache.

Tseng had been right. Somehow Shin-Ra had been able to reactivate Reno's chip and was happily revealing a location of the missing red head. A pang of sadness had struck deep when the vitals still came up flat, showing not even the tiniest blip of life. Yet somehow it did not seem to phase Rude. The bald man had still demanded he be allowed to go to the location. The Director did not want to allow it, felt it was a high risk to take for what was likely only a cooling body. Rude had refused and told Tseng point blank that he would go, even if it was only a body that he was retrieving.

"_No Turk gets left behind in any way."_

It was with those words that the Turk had written down the location and stalked out the door. It was obvious that he was going with or without company approval. So there was nothing that Tseng could do other then offer as much help as possible to ensure that he did not loose another team member. He made an request to Sephiroth to send Zack after Rude before returning to his office. Sitting in the plush chair behind his desk, he connected to Rude's chip, watching the location beacon draw closer to Reno's.

"Please..." The Director whispered into his empty office. "Let's bring him home and end this."

**...x...S...a...f...a...i...a...x...**

Rude grunted as he ran through the mud coated streets of Sector Six. He did not bother to stop and speak to anyone, ignored the odd stares and the obscene shouts that came his way. It was no secret that most people hated Shin-Ra and anyone that was in any way connected to it. Despite all the good that the Company had done at some points, the people of this Planet only seemed to focus on the bad and then wondered why they never seemed to be able to crawl up out of their own squalor. Right now though, Rude was not concerned with their circle of self pity.

He was jarred out of his thoughts as one foot came down in a puddle of muck that splashed up over his ankle. An angry curse left him, but he was not about to slow down. According to the location the beacon gave him, Reno should be just ahead, in the alley to the left.

_Or at least his body should be._

The bald Turk let his breath hiss out of his lungs at the thought. He did not want to think that way, did not want to believe what every logical part of him was saying. They had all watched Reno's heart stop via a computer chart. All evidence pointed to the fact that his partner was dead, but Rude could not, _would not_, believe it until he saw a body. Breathing or otherwise.

A snarl left him as he whipped around the corner and into the alley way, almost expecting to see a red light flashing at the end of it as if Reno's beacon would appear in actual life and not just on a computer screen. There was nothing. Just shadows and piles of garbage with large rats crawling through their stench. Rude's stomach lurched. This was not where Reno deserved to be left, what he would deserve as a final resting place.

He saw no body though, and his heart rate picked up. Where was he? This was where the computer had lead to, this was where his partner was suppose to be waiting. But there was no one. A frustrated scream left him as turned and without thought began tearing through the piles of trash. Bags and garbage were strewn about the alley way as the large bald man ripped his way through it.

There it was. A flash of thick black fabric. The sort of fabric that a Turk uniform was made out of. One of a kind, made to protect as much as possible. He wrapped a gloved hand around it and tugged hard, separating the jacket from the pile of trash. There was no body with in it, only a stain of blood on the back of the collar. There was no time to think straight and Rude tore through the pockets until he pulled out the small chip, holding it up. The metal was still coated in drying blood from when it had been cut from Reno's body. Rude felt his stomach lurch, something that never happened. The man was a trained killer, he saw more blood in a week then some doctors saw in a life time. But here, this small chip with trace amounts of Reno's blood was forcing him to swallow back the bile that was rising in his throat.

A dead end, a wild goose chase. There had been no Reno waiting for him in this alley. Just the clothing and chip that his abductor, that his killer, had left behind to throw the rest of the Turks off his trail. If it weren't Reno that had been the victim, Rude might have been slightly impressed by the skill the mystery person showed. They had all thought it had been the Don, but now...even this seemed well beyond the Don's level.

Rude hung his head as he fell to his knees in the muck. This could not be happening, it was not fair. He had steeled himself to find a body at least, to bring his fallen partner home one last time. Now all he had was a jacket and a blood soaked piece of technology. How could Reno deserve such a cruel fate, to simply be wiped from existence as though he never had been alive? Tears began to burn the hazel orbs, ready to spill over. It was this moment of torment that left his defenses down and allowed him to become a target.

"You missed something." A voice hissed behind him, and as Rude turned to see who was there, he was rocked to the side by a stunning blow.

One lens of his sunglasses cracked, the fractured edge digging into his cheek and tearing open the flesh. The large man fell to one side, stunned for a moment. He grasped out, trying to gather his thoughts back into a solid pattern just as the frames were ripped off his face and he found himself staring back at a face.

Or at least the man assumed it was a face. The lower half was covered by a thick mask, the rest by a pair of large sunglasses. A hood was pulled up, obscuring any chance of making even the slightest identification on them. A gloved hand curled around Rude's tie, pulling him forward as his dazed head could only roll about on his shoulders. The mask brushed against the side of his face as his assailant spoke once more.

"I killed your partner. I listened to him scream out in misery, beg for his life, cry. He died a pathetic heap of broken man." The voice growled out. "And you can go back and tell your friends that I am not done yet. I will hunt each one of you down and kill you in the same wretched way. You will only live today so that you can return that message. You tell them that the _Cane_ is coming for them next."

Rage boiled in Rude's body at the words, realizing that he was facing the person that had killed Reno. How they spoke of his partner's last moments was like holding a match to a fuse, and the bulk of the man lunged forward, attempting to land a solid blow to the lithe form that was in front of him. In a flash they were gone, leaving Rude still dazed from the blow and blinking at the empty space of the alley way. It was then the voice spoke from behind him once more.

"Make sure to deliver my message, Turk. You tell them that dogs will hunt, and _Cane_ is coming."

The blow came from behind just as Rude was spinning around. Not fast enough. Another roar of pain shattered through his skull and the alley was swallowed up by darkness. Even as Rude started to slip into the welcoming arms of oblivion, those words still whispered through his mind.

"_Cane is coming..."_

**...x...S...a...f...a...i...a...x...**

He had given them names. Reno was not sure why he felt the need to personalize the people that had been tormenting him for days. Or at least he assumed it was days. He no longer had a grasp on time or how it passed, or how long he had actually been in this hell hole. Maybe that was the reason he had named them, to bring some form of humanity into this gray blur that had become his life.

First there was Boots. The man was a large wall of muscle shoved into a pair of thick, steel toed boots. They were his favorite items to use against Reno. Often he would drive those thick soles into his ribs just to hear the sounds of pain he could draw from the red head.

Then there was Tool. A fitting name as it described the man in so many ways. This man was built more like Reno. Thin yet still muscled. He preferred a selection of toys to inflict pain. Belts, whips, chains, knives, anything that would elicit a strong and painful reaction.

Boots and Tool, the only human contact he had anymore. Except for the Don, and Reno was a long way from considering that creature as a human. And now all three of them were slowly making their way down the stairs into the basement. It seemed the fun was about to begin again.

Reno had regained most of the strength that had been sucked from his body after his near death experience, though he knew he was still not back at his full health. That was likely due to his lack of food as much as the lack of health care. He struggled into a sitting position, sitting back against the wall of the basement and readying himself for whatever pain today would bring.

There was no way that he could have known the amount of pain that he was about to feel.

"Hey." He called out once they'd reached the bottom of the stairs, absently scratching at a burn mark on his chest from when they had brought him back from the brink. "Did you bring me some smokes like I asked?"

The Don smiled easily as he pulled a chair forward from the far corner. The same steel one he had used to strap Reno into the basin. The red head arched a brow, never remembering seeing the Don ever take a seat. It could not be a good sign and he found himself unconsciously pushing back against the wall, trying to put space between him and the man.

"Smoking is bad for you." Corneo chuckled to himself, the irony of the statement obviously not lost on him. Reno could only roll his eyes in response, letting them drift shut.

"You are a real riot." The Turk muttered, resting his head against the stone behind him and closing his eyes. "You really should consider giving up the crime life for comedy."

The Don chuckled low in his throat, and Reno could hear his weight shifting in the chair. The metal creaked gently and Reno had an amusing flash of the furniture giving way underneath him and dumping the crime boss on his ass. That would make this hell he was living in just a little more enjoyable. There was no such luck though, and the Don just continued speaking.

"Reno, _mi Cane_, it does not have to be like this." The man murmured gently. Reno's eyes slid open in shock. Had he actually heard concern in the man's voice? Genuine concern? "There is a different life that awaits you if you simply agree to help me."

Reno grunted slowly, glaring blue-green eyes on the Don's face. It was the same racket as always. The crime boss came in, offered him freedom in exchange for the agreement to help him with something. He wasn't sure what it was, and all he knew was that he did not want to know. But there was something different this time. Reno could not pick out what it was and it built up like a weight in his chest, pressing down on his heart. Before he knew it, his breath was starting to become quicker, rushing in and out in shorter pants.

"Why should I help you?" He tried to keep his voice level, steady. It didn't work though as that ominous feeling still seemed to cling desperately to every bone in his body. What was going on? Why did he feel like he was walking straight to his grave?

"I would not have been able to answer that question with a good reason yesterday." The Don murmured, that same tone in his voice that struck straight through to Reno's very core. "But today I have the answer, and I feel it is one that you will find no fault in. You will help me willingly as it is the only way for us both to get revenge."

Reno blinked slowly as the answer was not one that he expected to get. Obviously the Don had lost his mind at some point. The only person Reno wanted revenge against was this man in front of him. And unless the Don was offering up his own life, the Turk failed to see how he would get compliance. A low grunt left him as he turned his face away, letting one cheek rest against the cool stone of the wall, closing his eyes once more. He was still warm, likely a fading fever.

"I see you still do not believe me, my Turk." The Don sighed heavily. "Then allow me to tell you a story, and hopefully it will change your mind and show you that I am not the real enemy."

"Oh goody, do I get milk and cookies too?" Reno muttered, though he still did not open his eyes or turn his attention back to the crime boss. His stomach was rolling and keeping his eyes closed was the only thing that was prevented the nausea from taking over.

"My father ran this business before I did, so I suppose you could say that this life was my inheritance." The Don ignored Reno's crack and slipped straight into what ever story it was that he had ready. Reno didn't stop him, only seeming like he was resting in that place between reality and dreams. His body was limp, eyes closed, but his breathing was fast paced and easily giving away his stress at the change in what had become a pattern in his current situation. "That's the way the world works isn't it? Sons inherit their father's legacy. I gained the largest whore house on the Planet, Rufus gained the company, and you...Reno...you gained the killer instinct. I know that I have mentioned your father, but its apparent you do not truly know the man he was."

The Don paused for only a moment as he heard the growl that slipped out of Reno before continuing on with his droning speech. "Your father worked for my father, Reno. He was on their pay roll. When someone challenged my father in the underground market, he would hire your father to kill them. And you know what? Your old man was good at his job. It was originally why I went after you. Your father did a good job of hiding your connection to him and it took years to find out. The only way I did was the ink. Its a very rare ink and your father was the only one that refined it for use in tattoos. When I saw you that first time arrive with the Turks I saw them and I knew. Your eyes gave you away.

"Originally I had no interest in you seeing as you had offered your talents to the side of the righteous and I got myself my own little pet. Trained them just like your had been. Still, they found out about you and set up a plan, set me up to take the fall for the death of that SOLDIER and was prepared to let me take the fall in order to get a hold of you. They were threatened by you, thought I would cut them loose and replace them with you. After all, thanks to Shin-Ra and the Turks, you were already fully trained and far better then they were. So came this plan. You were suppose to die in that house but I pulled you out before it exploded and brought you here to hide you. I wanted you to agree to work for me to take them down. But I knew you wouldn't agree. Not when the moment you got freedom you would simply run back to your lovely Turks and use their resources to hunt me down. I needed leverage, something that would ensure that you stayed on my side no matter what type of freedom you were given. And unfortunately for us both, my renegade pet provided that for us last night."

Reno had started to drift slightly, the monotone levels of the Don's voice almost soothing. He was starting to feel chilled and relized that the slight fever he thought he had was obviously a lot worse then he had first thought. He wanted to sleep, wanted to shut this hell hole out and curl up, but there was something there, something the Don was holding back that he just simply had to know. He forced his eyes open, turning his head back towards the crime boss. And that was when he saw them, resting gently in Corneo's out stretched palm.

Rude's sunglasses.

One lens was cracked and there was a smear of blood lining the fracture, but there was no doubt who they had belonged to before. Reno came alive in an instant, back arching off the wall as he lunged forward, trying to snag the shades from the outstretched palm. It had not even occurred to him yet to question why the man had them or how he had gotten them. All that was on Reno's mind was getting those glasses, of having a piece of his partner, or his normal life close to him in this dank place. The Don pulled it out of his reach though, and Reno let out a frustrated cry as the steel collar bit into his throat and yanked him back.

"Ah, ah, not yet _mi Cane_, the story is not over yet." Corneo almost purred, reaching out to run a hand through the fuming Turk's read hair. "You see, they wanted you and they lost you. I managed to help you get away and they knew that. So they figured the only way to get you to come out of hiding was to threaten your friends. They stole some of the things that I removed from you, your intel chip included and set it up so that they would come to running to find even your body. It seems that your partner was all too eager to fall into the trap and unfortunately you did not show up to save him. They got angry and...well...this is all that is left."

The Don now tossed the glasses forward, letting them skitter across the ground. The shattered shades came to a rest where they bumped against his knee. Reno did not feel them though. His entire body had gone numb, the feeling having washed out of him. He did not realize it, but his lips were moving in silent pleas. It could not be true, he could not believe it. Rude was not dead, his partner could not be dead. That bald bastard could not have thrown his life away over a corpse.

"Y-you're lying..." Reno's voice finally emerged, though it was still quite and shaky. Even he did not believe it.

"I wish I were." The Don whispered, standing from the chair and moving over to kneel beside Reno. His hand came up, figuring the boy to be broken at the news. Pudgy fingers rubbed against his cheek and the fire was lit.

Reno turned faster then the Don expected of him anymore. His hands snapped up to grip the crime boss's throat and shoved back, slamming the man down to the ground. The Turk was on the top of him in seconds, applying a crushing force to the man's windpipe.

"You're lying!" Reno screamed, his face dark. There was a despair burning in his blue-green orbs, tears tracking down his cheeks. "He is not dead! You're lying! _Rude is not dead_!"

Boots and Tool were on him in seconds, yanking the frenzied Turk off of Corneo. In a moment Reno sagged, his last reserves of energy spent in that attack. His head rolled forward, soft sobs now escaping the red head as he continued to mutter the same mantra over and over again. 'You're lying'. The Don managed to stagger to his knees, coughing gently as he fished a small recorder out of his pocket. Hitting the play button, a familiar voice echoed through the small room.

"_SOLDIER First Class Zack Fair reporting in. I need medical in Sector Six. There is a Turk down, Rude. He does not appear to be breathing. Send them as quickly as you can."_ There was a click where Zack apparently had thought he'd hung up his PHS, yet his voice was still recorded. _"Shit...he's dead. Oh man...how are the Turks going to recover from this?"_

Reno's eyes were wide, the tears falling faster as the Don pressed the stop button on the recording. The Turk knew where it came from. All calls into the company were recorded and it would only take a simple hack to break into them and record one. For a brief moment he had felt a swell of hope when he heard Zack's voice, even missing that goofy bastard. That was until the man had delivered the worst news Reno had ever heard in his life.

"You see, I am not lying. _They_ got your partner." The Don spoke, standing up and smoothing out his uniform. "And now we both want revenge on the same person, and that is why you will agree to help me."

Reno's head sagged forward, eyes falling onto the pair of broken sunglasses that still sat on the ground in front of him. His image of them was blurred by the tears that burned through his vision. His mind was stuck in a loop of memories of the large bald man. Pranks pulled on one another, moments where they saved each others' lives, times where they had dove into battle at each others side, where they comforted each other over loss. There would never be another memory because Rude's life had ended trying to recover what they all assumed would be a body.

"Why...why would I help you?" Reno whispered mournfully. "It is your fault."

"No, it is _their_ fault, my escaped pet." The Don's voice was sharp as he spoke this time, like scolding a dog. "And you will help me because I will give you what you want. Revenge on the one that killed your partner. For each problem you help me with, I will give you a little information on the one that killed him. You will be awarded some form of freedom in return. The basement will be gone, you will get a room in the attic with a window that offers easy in and out access. There will still be a collar equipped with a special chip to ensure you will not run. Other then that, the only rules will be as follows. One, you are only to leave when you have a mission. Two, with each successful mission, you get a piece of information that leads to your partner's killer. Three, you stay away from the Shin-Ra building. If they see you they will bring you in and likely lock you away in medical for some time. Unfortunately you old company does not know who did this and if you return to them you will not get the revenge that I know you want. Lastly, you are to do as I tell you and not question it. So...are these acceptable terms, _mi Cane_?"

Reno's head was spinning, weight sagging even more in Boots and Tool's hold. Not once did his gaze leave the shades on the floor, the broken lens and smear of blood glaring back at him. Avoid the Turks and help the Don remove his enemies for the chance to get revenge on the person that killed his partner. His mind continued to race, chest heaving and sore. For a moment he had a vision of Rude, lying in a heap on the ground, starting up at his killer. His partner had gone there hoping for a bit of peace, to find a body to bring home and lay to rest. Instead, he became a body, dying with a broken heart feeling that he had failed his best friend in the world. A ragged sob escaped him, the image too much for him. No, he would not fail Rude again.

The red head's chin finally lifted to look at the Don from his kneeling position. His eyes were red rimmed, cheeks damp with tears of despair. Still, those aqua pools burned with a fierce fire. They spoke of anger, of hate, but most of the burning desire for the revenge that the Don was offering him. Accepting the offer would mean shedding his old life, sacrificing Reno to get full peace for Rude.

"Do we have a deal, _mi Cane_?" The Don repeated the question catching the slight change in the man's eyes. It was the spark of instinct that the boy would need. The killer instinct with no remorse.

Reno licked his lips slowly, body still numb, heart and mind broken. His eyes settled on The Don's face but all he could see in front of him was revenge. He stood on the edge of knowing that if he jumped off, he would simply fall until he hit the bottom. Only one word left him, a choice that there was no stepping back from, a word that launched him off the edge and into open air.

"Yes."

**-And there you have it, the next installment. Just what is the wily Don planning? How is he doing all this, why his he doing all this? Well you are just going to have to stay tuned and find out! :D**

**And as always, review and let me know what you think!**

**~Safaia~**


	7. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

**Unfortunately some people did not read the Foreward to this story and due to the first few chapters similarity to the story I wrote under the other account their have been complications with this story. So far as I know will not be removing it, but I have to wait until I can gain access to my other account and remove the story to prove that it is actually my own story and that I have not stolen anything from anyone.**

**Luckily that should only take a few short days and I will still be writing the chapters, just not posting them until this is all cleared up. I will keep you all updated as I have no intetions to let this story go unfinished.**

**Until then, I have started posting another story I have been working in order to continue to give you all something to read. It is titled Quoth The Raven and deals heavily with themes from the Before Crisis games. **

**Here is a brief summary: A routine drop off over Wutai goes sour when a mystery group downs Reno's helicopter and takes him and Rude hostage. No one knows what they want, at least not at first. They torture Reno before announcing that they want all the files that Shin-Ra has on the Project Raven that was used by Fuhito in exchange for the Turk's life. Warning: Dark, graphic torture, gore, possible rape.**

**You can read it at: ** s/8613443/1/Quoth-The-Raven

**Again, I am terribly sorry for this mix up and hopefully we should be back on track by the end of the week!**

**~Safaia~**


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